Pediatric Associates eyeing site at planned development

Wednesday

A local pediatric office has been confirmed as a tenant for a proposed three-building, 39,000-square-foot medical office development to be built on Old Diley Road.

A local pediatric office has been confirmed as a tenant for a proposed three-building, 39,000-square-foot medical office development to be built on Old Diley Road.

Pediatric Associates Inc., which offers medical services to children in four central Ohio facilities, including Pickerington, plans to relocate to an approximately 11,500-square-foot office just south of the Kroger store on Old Diley Road.

Pediatric Associates' doctors and representatives did not respond to four calls on three separate days last week and on Monday seeking comment about the impending move.

However, officials from Columbus-based Skilken Co. said during an Oct. 19 Pickerington City Council meeting the company has signed on to relocate its Pickerington office, currently at 1310 Hill Road North, to the planned development.

The move, according to Pickerington development director Susan Crotty, would allow Pediatric Associates' Pickerington office to expand its workforce.

However, she said she didn't know how many employees currently were working at the office.

"One of our businesses is planning to basically double in size and move to this location," Crotty said.

She said Pediatric Associates' current Pickerington office is approximately 6,000 square feet.

According to the company's website, it has offices in Hilliard, Lewis Center, Pickerington and Whitehall. The Web site also listed eight doctors for its Pickerington office.

"We're thrilled to already have Pediatric Associates signed on," said Seth Dorman, a Skilken Co. development planner.

Pediatric Associates is expected to fill one of the buildings planned for the development on five acres just south of the existing Kroger store.

The other two buildings are expected to be approximately 14,500 square feet and 13,000 square feet in size, respectively.

According to Dorman, tenants for those two buildings haven't been landed, but Skilken president Ken Gold earlier this month said the project has received "very strong interest from lots of doctors."

The two smaller buildings in the planned development would house medical offices, Dorman said. The largest building likely will contain medical offices and "service-type" retail.

City council on Oct. 19 unanimously passed the first reading of legislation to rezone the site from "community commercial" to "planned community commercial," in addition to its final development plan.

Earlier this month, Gold said the expectation is to break ground and complete the development sometime next year.

In addition to the rezoning and development plan approvals, council on Oct. 19 unanimously passed the second reading of legislation to extend an existing "community reinvestment area" (CRA) to include the proposed Skilken development.

Under that plan, property taxes will be paid after the Skilken development is built. However, the developer won't pay property taxes on the value of construction of the new buildings.

The current CRA was established in June 1984 and encompasses land along state Route 256 and Olde Pickerington Village.

Although abatements can be extended to homes and businesses in the CRA, Crotty said they haven't been widely used. Several years ago, she said, a 12-year property tax abatement was extended to renovations on the Creamery in Olde Pickerington, and Donley Concrete received a 15-year abatement on the value of construction of its facility.

Crotty said the city has not calculated how much of a tax savings Skilken would receive, should the CRA be extended, because construction values haven't been estimated.

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